Tech

Square’s new Assistant is an AI bot that aims to do one thing well

Instead of trying to teach its chatbot to do too much, Square focused on one small-business task: confirming, canceling, and rescheduling appointments.

You could soon control your phone by swiping everywhere—not just the screen

Sentons’ new technology can detect whether you’re touching the back and sides of your phone, too—making the entire surface of a smartphone interactive.

The new Pixel is the iPhone’s peer. But Android is flailing

On tablets, wearables, TVs, and beyond, Android is in disarray. Given Apple’s ability to keep users happy with a multidevice ecosystem, that’s a problem.

16 incredibly useful things you didn’t know YouTube could do

From time-saving shortcuts to interface-enhancing adjustments, YouTube’s got plenty of handy tricks hidden up its video-watching sleeve.

What digital success looks like without all those Instagram likes

Ali Grant, the founder of digital communications agency Be Social, says we need to redefine how influencer marketing measures success.

How I learned to stop griping and love electric scooters

Some riders are obnoxious, but electric scooters can be part of the solution to crippling congestion.

WeWork’s only in-house product—its phone booths—could make you sick

WeWork mass-produces phone booths for its coworking spaces. Now, it turns out some might be laced with high levels of formaldehyde.

5 free, fun, and functional apps for cord cutters

Find stuff to watch, choose the right live TV package, watch Netflix remotely with friends, and more.

Sony’s 360 “spatial” audio will stream soon on Amazon, Tidal, and Deezer

This new Slack feature aims to take the drudgery out of everyday tasks

Slack’s new Workflow Builder democratizes automation by letting you turn your organization’s essential processes into software.

This is the impact of Instagram’s accidental fat-phobic algorithm

The Visible Collective founder Jessica Richman explores the impact of Instagram’s unintentional algorithm that discriminates against fat bodies.

The makers of Vespa built a $3,250 high-tech granny cart

Gita may sound pricey—but its creators envision it replacing a second car for suburbanites.

Google’s auto-delete tools are practically worthless for privacy

By the time Google deletes your activity data, it’s already extracted most of the advertising value.

Read real stories of how YouTube pushed people down shocking rabbit holes

Mozilla published 28 stories to pressure YouTube into allowing outside experts to help fix a recommendation engine that sometimes leads people toward disturbing videos.

This game puts you inside the head of a real social media troll

‘Troll Factory’ puts you inside the seedy word of professional bullshit artists for a good reason: to help you spot misinformation when you see it.

The Washington Post’s inspired new TV app is about reading, not watching

Based on a suggestion from Jeff Bezos, the newspaper’s latest TV app is all about text—a surprisingly rare experience that actually works.

I’m an eye doctor. Here’s how to keep screens from ruining your vision

Don’t blame blue light alone for eye fatigue and sleep loss. These tips will help ensure that your computer, tablet, and phone don’t mess with your eyesight and slumber.

Now Facebook friends eBay, Stripe, and Mastercard are bailing on Libra too

Laser cutters sold on Amazon and elsewhere are cheap, fun—and dangerous

Bargain-basement laser cutters offered at major shopping sites don’t adequately protect buyers from the risks inherent in playing around with laser beams.